Stop the Occupation of Haiti! Money for Reconstruction not Militarization!

Two years ago a massive earthquake ripped through Haiti shattering thousands of buildings, lives and hearts in just 30 seconds. The response from around the world was immediate and generous: over 3 billion dollars of aid was promised to Haiti from individuals, organizations and governments. But in a nation where a half million people still live in tents and rubble covers the streets, Haitians are asking: where did that money go?

The answer to that question unveils the all-pervasive role of militarization in US policy towards Latin America and the Caribbean. Fully 33 cents of each US dollar for Haiti was used to reimburse the US itself for sending 5,000 soldiers. This, and other shocking statistics, come from a recently published report by Bill Quigley and Amber Ramanauskas who followed the Haiti recovery money trail.

Adding salt to the wound, a recent outbreak of cholera that added 6,000 more dead to Haiti’s tragic roster has been linked scientifically to the Nepalese contingent of MINUSTAH as the source of contamination. While contamination of the disease that infected 500,000 Haitians was not intentional, Haitians insist that the UN take responsibility for the consecuences of the epidemic they caused. Some 5,000 victims have brought a lawsuit against the UN, with the help of BAI/IJDH.

Unfortunately, impunity rules and no troops have been prosecuted for the widespread sexual abuse of Haitian women and children. Only days ago the UN Peace­keep­ers caught on tape rap­ing a Hait­ian teenager last sum­mer were freed. BAI lawyer Mario Joseph, a keynote speaker at the November SOA Watch vigil, expressed outrage, saying that the UN should demon­strate its com­mit­ment to its own prin­ci­ples of jus­tice and human rights by con­duct­ing seri­ous, prompt inves­ti­ga­tions, waiv­ing its immu­nity where pos­si­ble and allow­ing civil claims against it to be decided by an impar­tial tri­bunal.”

Last Thursday Theresa Cusimano took the SOA to trial and will be spending 6 months in prison for speaking truth about US militarization. The people of Haiti are standing up to the enormous power of the UN to demand respect for their rights. Only by taking efforts in our communities and linking our struggles, North and South, can we resist militarization and bring forth a new culture of peace.

Join us in Aprilas we build the skills necessary to turn public attention the crimes of the SOA/WHINSEC, and network to build a diverse and vibrant movement. From direct action training, to strategy sessions, to lobbying and more, we hope that you will activate your communities to say “No Màs!” to the culture of militarization and oppression.

Disclaimer: The contents of this article are of sole responsibility of the author(s). The Centre for Research on Globalization will not be responsible for any inaccurate or incorrect statement in this article. The Centre of Research on Globalization grants permission to cross-post Global Research articles on community internet sites as long the source and copyright are acknowledged together with a hyperlink to the original Global Research article. For publication of Global Research articles in print or other forms including commercial internet sites, contact: [email protected]

www.globalresearch.ca contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of "fair use" in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than "fair use" you must request permission from the
copyright owner.